Shuttle Missions

NASA Space Stations Space Food Space Wear Shuttle Missions Space Work Space Fun

Careers at NASA Astronaut Training  Return to Homepage

Shuttle missions are missions sent into space to do specific tasks.

Current Missions

STS-114

STS-114 astronauts

From left, STS-114 astronauts Steve Robinson, Jim Kelly, Andy Thomas, Wendy Lawrence, Charlie Camarda, Eileen Collins and Soichi Noguchi. Photo credit: NASA.
 

The crewmember's main job was to test new safety procedures, do assembly and maintenance work on the Station. There have been upgrades on the space shuttle. An external tank has been added, some new sensors, and a boom that will allow astronauts to know any damage on the Space Shuttle. Robinson and Noguchi went outside their shuttle for three spacewalks. They repaired the Thermal Protection System on the space shuttle. The repaired a heat shield on the shuttle. They added a new feature which holds items during space construction. A failed Control Moment Gyroscope was installed.

Past Missions

Apollo

    It was May, 25 1961, when President Kennedy said that he was sending astronauts to the moon. Kennedy's challenge was as brave as ever, a journey that changed all of human history. The Apollo missions 11,12,13,14,15,16,17 were sent to the moon. They were studying the moon and gathering information for their return flight. Apollo 7 and 9 were sent as spacecrafts to test Earth's orbit. Apollo 10 was sent to orbit the moon. Apollo 13 had an explosion of the oxygen tank. The crew of Apollo 1 were all killed because of a fire during the launch.

Deep Impact

    The Deep Impact found that here was water ice inside the nucleus of a comet. Scientists have presumed it was true what the Deep Impact give them evidence that it was true.

Expedition 12

    Space flight that will be launched will be completed by 2010. There will be 16 shuttle flights going to different places. These missions will be completed by 2010.

Hubble Space Telescope

    The Hubble space telescope found a distant galaxy that was too mature and big for it's place in the universe. The galaxy was named HUDF-JD2. It made eight times more than the Milky Way. All of a sudden the distant galaxy stopped making new stars. This galaxy was believed to be in a universe over 800 millions old.

Mars Pathfinder

    The Mars pathfinder was a rover that was sent to Mars. The rover landed in an ancient flood plain called Ares Vallis. Scientists knew that the spot would be perfect for landing. There was also a lot of different rocks at the landing site.

 Future Missions

 STS-121

From the left are astronauts Stephanie D. Wilson, Michael E. Fossum, both mission specialists; Steven W. Lindsey, commander; Piers J. Sellers, mission specialist; Mark E. Kelly, pilot; and Lisa M. Nowak, mission specialist. Image credit: NASA.

 

    The crew of STS-121 are testing new equipment and practicing new procedures to make space flight safer. Discovery will allow a new crewmember to join the station. They will be having their fourth trip to Leonardo which are the three Multi-Purpose Logistics Module which were all Italian built. There will be three 6.5 hour spacewalks for Seller and Fossum on the fifth, seventh, and ninth days of the mission. They will be testing a 50-foot long robotic arm boom extension which will take place on the first spacewalk. On the second spacewalk, Seller and Fossum will repair damaged tiles that will be put to future use. The third spacewalk will have tasks to test techniques for inspecting and repairing an orbiter.

STS-115

The crew of STS-115 takes a break from training to pose for a group portrait. Astronauts Brent W. Jett, Jr. (right) and Christopher J. Ferguson, commander and pilot, respectively, flank the mission insignia. The mission specialists are, from left to right, astronauts Heidemarie M. Stefanyshyn-Piper, Joseph R. (Joe) Tanner, Daniel C. Burbank, and Steven G. MacLean, who represents the Canadian Space Agency. Credit: NASA
 

    STS-115 will have their 19th space flight to the International Space Station. They will also add two truss parts. There will also be two new solar arrays. Four spacewalks are planned on a 10 day mission.

Sources:

    http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts121/index.html

    http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/index.html

    http://www.nasa.gov/missions/timeline/current/current_missions.html

    http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/calipso/main/index.html

    http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/cloudsat/main/index.html

    http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/apollo/index.html

    http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/deepimpact/main/index.html

    http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/index.html

    http://www.nasa.gov/vision/universe/starsgalaxies/spitzer-20050927.html

    http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/mars-pathfinder/index.html

Images From:

    http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/shuttle/sts-114/html/jsc2005e16245.html

    http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/shuttle/sts-121/html/sts121-s-001.html

    http://www.nasa.gov/returntoflight/crew/index.html

    http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts115/index.html

Video:

   Courtesy of United Streaming :   http://www.unitedstreaming.com/